Wonder Woman: Mythos
by The Lake Buzzard
Summary: In this epic retelling of Diana's origins, Diana tells the story of how she survived through the classical era of Heroes in Ancient Greece, to the Norse myths of the Eda's too modern day. In doing so, she presents how differant she had used to been, back in a time where heroes where a thing very differant from what we believe them to be.


Thank you for listening to me Clark. I've been wanting to tell someone for so long about who I was and I'm glad it's someone like you I get to tell. It's going to be a long story, but first some history. I was born in the golden age of heroes of Greece, heroes of course being rather subjective...

Hippolyta; my mother, was the daughter of Ares, the god of war. She led the amazons, female warriors and hunters who killed, loved, feasted and fought as wild as the beings they sought. My mother was the strongest of these Amazons, possessing the strength of many men and wild beauty that made many men seek her to steal as a wife. She killed them. My father was not Zeus as I told you, I'm sorry for that. My father you might know by his Roman name, but his true name, the name he was originally known is how I shall call him. My father was the greatest hero who ever lived. Heracles.

"Heracles? Do you mean Hercules?"

"No I mean Heracles. Glory of Hera. Hercules is his Romanised name. Same guy basically, different name"

Anyway, Heracles was on his ninth labour in his purification after killing his wife and children in a fit sent by Hera, for the crime of being the son of Zeus. Being sentenced to collect the belt of my mother by Eurystheus. Heracles was strong. Brave and direct and my mother took to him quickly. She gave him the belt of her own volition, placing it on his arm. On that night I was conceived, by the son and great grandson of Zeus, and the daughter of Ares.

"Great grandson?"

"Heracles was the grandson of Perseus, another son of Zeus"

"Wait, **another** son of Zeus. So Zeus slept with-"

"Look, the gods had a reputation for keeping it in the family, let's just leave it at that. Now, where was I?"

However as they slept, Hera spread a rumour that Heracles wished to abduct my mother. The Amazon's were set into a blood frenzy. They attacked the crew of Heracles ship and tried to kill him. In one of his legendary rages he smited my mother, and rallied his men. To break guest right, Xenia, was a crime of the highest calibre. Only when my mother came too were the Amazon's able to flee. Their numbers decimated and our reputation destroyed for breaking Xenia, they were hounded by men who forced them to be slaves, or killed them as they stood. Finally, wise Pallas Athene took pity on us, and gave us paradise island; Themiscyra, where we would be safe from those seeking justice on us. Finally, my mother could have me delivered. A child of Heracles, a Heraclyd however, Hera's most hated hero would undeniably gain her wrath. To hide me, my mother had several clay figures of the gods made and kept them heated so as to avoid them softening. Being surrounded by these soft statues, they absorbed her screams of pain and my crying as I was born. From this she made the story that the gods breathed life into clay that made me. All the gods were there at my birth in clay, so I suppose the story holds some truth. They named me Alcidemeda. Alcides was Heracles first name before it was changed to "Glory of Hera". Alcides means strong, Meda means thinker. So not only was I a "Strong thinker", Headstrong, I was "Heracles like Thinker!".

"Clever, suits you!"

"I hated that name so much!"

"Agreed, doesn't suit you. Stupid name"

"Clark please, Shut up"

At six, I climbed the mountain that rose out of the island. It was there I met my first adversary. Heracles had long rid the ancient world of the cthonic creatures of chaos that still roamed it, but Themiscyra was hidden from man's eyes. A Cyclops! Son of Poseidon and some unlucky nymph, I suppose. The Cyclops was hungry, and thought I would make a good snack.

"Come, Wild daughter! Come to my cave. We shall feast!" He said. I had heard of stories of children going missing in the wilds in the mainlands, and I stood firm. Soon he started to become adamant, demanding that I come with him and too do otherwise would be too fail in my duties as a guest. Still, I stood firm. So, with what little guile he had wasted, he turned to force. He charged. And I stood firm. I can still remember his teeth... I ducked beneath his arms and put my arms around a thigh. He must have thought it was funny at first, but once I put him on the ground, how he yelled! Again he attacked, and again he was floored. He had expected a weak little girl. But now he faced the daughter of Heracles! Even so, my strength was not enough. He was still a son of the Earthshaker, and a man grown at eight feet at least! So, what I couldn't do with strength, I would do with Guile. I ran, trying to put some distance but he could leap stadions (That's about 150 metres, Clark) at a time! So I waited. I stood in the edge of a cliff and waited for him. Once again he charged, but he was smarter then he let on, he didn't sprint, he came slowly, his arms outstretched at either side so as to catch me if I ran. So I did the only thing I could. I jumped! high as I could. I landed, a foot in his single eye and vaulted over his tall ugly head! He fell to his death, and I dragged his corpse down to the village. We gave him funeral rites so as to appease Poseidon, and gave his body over to the oceans. Athena heard the mighty roar of Poseidon's anguish at the death of a son, and decided to personally tutor me in the arts of war. Apollo saw also, and decided to teach me the lyre and the bow. With the lyre, Apollo soothed Poseidon's wrath. Though from that moment on, I would always be in the eye of the lord of Oceans.

At age twelve, I was given my first task. The minotaur was a creature of horrendous misery. The result of a perverse union between woman and bull, the bull having been made from the sea. One of Poseidon's creations, as he sent the lust into the wife of the lord of Crete after he refused to sacrifice the magnificent bull to Poseidon. "So shall you love the bull, so shall your wife!". The result was Asterius the Minotaur from under Crete. That was not this Minotaur.

The Minotaur I had to kill was a victim of Hera. Zeus; under the guise of a bull as he had been when he swept away Europa, had impregnated a priestess of Hestia. Even for the king of the Gods, such a thing was condemned. He met her several times in the shape of a human, and as punishment Hera changed her shape as they made love. Her once long hair turned to short, coarse hair of a heifer and her breasts, heavy once with mother's milk were turned to udders. In shock Zeus let loose a thunderbolt that scared her horribly, but did not kill her. Bewildered and confused she found her way to Themiscyra, and took to living underground. Her screams and cries of anguish could be heard on wild nights being carried on the wind, her hot breath warmed the easterly wind and too this day the winds from the east carry her hot breath.

I delved deep into the caverns beneath Themiscyra. My weapons was that of a humble piece of rope. I found the poor thing deep under the ground, weeping as always. That threw me off. I was told it was a monster, why is it weeping? I hesitated before going in after being goaded by Athena. We wrestled, and I realised my strength was not it's equal, it constantly threw me, hit me and slammed me into the cavern roof in its rage. I looked to Athena, and I understood why it was wisdom that had accompanied me into the depths. Unlike the Cyclops, the Minotaur was guileless, it would charge regardless. So I stood in front of the cave walls and let it run into the caverns stalegmites. Once it was unbalanced I took the rope and made a lasso, took it around the feet and tripped it. The rumble it made! I thought the cave would collapse. It lied at my feet, concussed and bleeding. It looked at me so sadly, such a pitiful thing. Compassion had been looked down upon through history, but I couldn't help but pity the poor thing. Despite Athena's command, I could not kill it.

"Kill it!" Athena said. "It is a beast, lower then a animal"

"No! It is strong as a bull but it cries like a human. If it has human emotions it can be reasoned with, allied with. She will make a powerful Amazon!"

"You wish to make her into a ally?"

"I wish to make her into a Amazon!"

"You defy the Goddess of War!"

I have no shame now in telling you, I was terrified. You don't simply defy a Goddess, to do so isn't stupid, it's suicidal. So I had to think **very** fast. Like Wally fast.

"No, I don't defy you goddess. I beseech you! She is strong and vulnerable and would be a great Amazon. Is it weakness to kill a possible ally, or is it wisdom?" Now for my gamble. "I have wisdom so close to me, in this very cave. Athena the wide browed! Athena the Grey Eyed! It is through you I am able to make this wise decision"

Of course this was dependant on whether I had made a wise decision or not. I know it doesn't seem very cunning but the one thing about Athena is this. Her wisdom is only exceeded by her pride, and her pride is based in her wisdom. Of course if she realised what I was doing this story would be very short and contain about 90% less filler, but I was lucky. I had made a wise decision. Athena considered what I said, and after several terrifying seconds, she smiled.

"A wise choice" she said as she disappeared, but she left something. A poultice for the bull. It was then I realised this was a test! She had wanted too see if I would take the brutish choice or the wise choice. Athena would always be proud, and it would be the end of her. Once I had soothed the poor things head with the poultice I took the lasso and tied it around the Minotaur thick neck, the place where the Bovine met the human. She was as docile as a pet once I cleared away the blood and bandaged her up and I named her Hippolytacles; Glory of Hippolyta.

"I always knew you were kind"

"You say that"

However as I led my new friend into the world above, I did not realise that I had made a powerful enemy. Hera had finally noticed my existence. For the time being however, she was happy to ignore me. Heracles was her main focus, and he had over 50 offspring by this time, she would not care for one more. No, the Earth Shaker had noticed me. My great-uncle had eyes for me.

I did not know that night off course, so instead I feasted, rejoiced and sang with my Amazon sisters in welcome of the new comrade to our home. We garlanded her horns, gave her as much drink as she could handle and would wrestle one another from atop her shoulders as we rode on another Amazon. I love that night, I think it was the first time Hippolytacles had been happy in a long time, and she would become one of our strongest and bravest warriors.

With that, I had developed a taste for adventure. I decided after another hard year of training I would go out into the world and bring fame to myself. At the age of 13, I kissed my sister's and mother goodbye, and went out too discover the world.

Little did I know it would the last time I saw my mother.


End file.
